Separation walls of this type serve primarily for dividing the cabin space into different cabin sections to impede the view from one section to the other unless a person stands in an aisle. Such separation walls are made of relatively thin panel material, whereby the edges of the panels are trimmed to a desired profile.
International Patent Publication WO 93/01088 discloses such a separation wall which performs two functions, namely the separation function and a protective function in case of an accident to protect passengers sitting behind the separation wall against severe head injuries. The separation wall disclosed in the above mentioned International Publication comprises partial walls with a horizontal off-set. The laterally facing edges of the known separation wall are formed with a set-back relative to the footing of the wall section. The separation wall is secured to the floor of the cabin and to the cabin ceiling. In the installed condition the separation wall according to the above mentioned patent publication is inclined relative to the vertical in such a way that the backrest of a seat arranged in front of the separation wall can be fully inclined. The arrangement is such that the above mentioned second purpose, namely to protect passengers sitting behind the separation wall against head injuries is achieved. For this purpose the separation wall has individual wall portions which are movably interconnected, whereby the movable connection between the individual wall portions is so constructed that the connection absorbs, before it breaks, an excessive force effective on the separation wall and exceeding a rated force. Such a shock absorption minimizes an impact on a passenger. Due to the individual wall portions and their connection, the appearance of the separation walls is rather disturbing from an optical point of view, whereby the characteristic decor of the particular airline can hardly come to the fore.
If certain features that are interrelated with the cabin operation such as equipment, indicator and instruction panels, magazine storage space, and literature pockets and the like are to be integrated into such a conventional separation wall, one encounters problems due to the relatively small wall thickness of the conventional separation wall. Thus, additional steps are taken for the concealing or enclosing of the above mentioned equipment and items. The separation walls of the above described type thus require expensive measures for arranging the equipment or items to be housed or stored in these separation walls. Additionally, conventional separation walls make it difficult to blend the separation walls into the cabin decor. Nothing can be gleaned from the above mentioned disclosure with regard to the integration of equipment into the separation wall, especially where the above mentioned protective function is not required.